Method and device to enable and assist the elderly and females to exercise their leg and chest muscles

ABSTRACT

This combined chest press and leg press exercise machine is comprised of an inclined seat with a weight resistance mechanism attached to handles and a foot-plate for providing adjustable resistance to arm and leg movement. At least one hand rail is positioned to aid entry to and exit from the machine and to stabilize the user while exercising. 
     A method for using the chest and leg exercise machine is for the user to sit on the inclined seat, hold the weight resistance handles and place his feet on the weight resistance foot-plate. He then pushes with his hands, the said handles forwards, away from the direction of the user&#39;s body. Simultaneously, he pushes with his legs on the said foot-plate also away from the direction of the user&#39;s body. The said handles and the said foot-plate are then controllably returned to their starting position and the exercise is repeated as desired. 
     Other methods for using the chest and leg exercise machine could be to operate the chest press and leg press independently or alternately or mostly the chest press with some help from the leg press or visa versa.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of exercise resistance machines for improvement of general health, especially strengthening chest and leg muscles providing the physiotherapeutic effects to strengthen, build and rebuild muscle and bone mass, and prevents muscle and bone mass deterioration. This patent relates to and caters for the special needs of the elderly, those convalescing from injury or surgery and females.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of machines for exercising the body is well known in the art. For many decades it has been considered beneficial for a person's health to exercise regularly. The benefits are many and probably some that we are not yet aware. A few of the better known benefits are to the functioning of the heart, the blood vessels, the blood cells, the muscles, the bone structure, the functioning of the brain, the levels of cholesterol and blood sugars, and the general feeling of well-being. There was a time when it was felt to be not so beneficial for the elderly to exercise but now it is considered also very beneficial. Obviously, the degree of stress on the body and length of time of such exercise varies from person to person depending on age, general health and any specific disabilities endured.

One of the factors that make it difficult for the elderly is their lack of agility. They often have pain when moving their various limbs. This discourages them from starting to exercise even though when they have exercised, usually they feel better than beforehand. If they avoid exercising then they do not enjoy the many side benefits of exercising and a vicious cycle is sometimes created whereby their health deteriorates generally. Most prior art exercise machines do not take into account the special needs of the elderly and therefore help to create this barrier. The machines are often cumbersome, sometimes complicated to operate, without easily understandable instructions, without handles to aid entering and exiting and without taking into account the sometimes frail and painful limbs of the elderly. They are basically designed for the young and middle aged.

The elderly either currently suffer from ailments that are best assisted by controlled exercise or are likely to suffer from such ailments if they do not exercise, for example, heart disease, weight control, walking stability, osteoporosis, lower back pains.

Daily activities, that a younger person performs automatically without realizing how many muscles and joints are involved, can be a major cause of pain and other discomforts throughout the day for the elderly and disabled. Examples of such daily activities are bending to tie shoes, getting in and out of the car or bath, walking up stairs or a hill, pushing a shopping cart, carrying groceries and simply stretching to reach items. These are but a few of the hundreds of activities that an elderly person has to do daily and without regular exercising and muscle strengthening these everyday activities become more difficult as the person ages.

Women are more prone than men to a bone disease called osteoporosis, usually from the age of menopause and older. One of the major recommended preventative measures for osteoporosis is regular exercising of the weight bearing kind in order to increase the bone mass. Furthermore, females more than males, require special features in exercise machines to cater for their more delicate body structures. Therefore, it would be preferable for the elderly, those convalescing and females, to use exercise machines that are purpose built and user friendly for their specific needs.

The apparatus of this invention is specifically and professionally designed for the special needs of this group of users. The innovation of this invention includes and/or takes into account amongst others, the following factors:

-   -   the user's general lack of agility and possibility of various         pains when moving into position to start exercising, during the         exercising and when exiting,     -   to give as much as possible clutter free access and a minimum of         overhead apparatus to ease entry/exit and to avoid accidental         injury to the user or a helper of the user,     -   to synchronize the movements of the chest press and leg press,     -   adjustable range of movement,     -   the need for a comfortable seat and/or back-rest to give the         user a feeling of comfort and stability,         -   the need for smaller gradations of weights so that             resistance and muscle stress can be more gradually             increased,         -   the proper placing of handles and bars to aid entering and             leaving the machines and stabilizing handles to optionally             hold while exercising,         -   notices and instructions written in clear language and large             print,             and many other features for the benefit of the infirm as are             herein described in greater detail.

Prior art has addressed some aspects of the needs of older people. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,302 issued to Miller reveals a moveable exercise machine that can be brought to a chair ridden person to exercise. The novelty is more in the portability features than the use of the machine itself. US Patent Application No. 20040220019 issued to Maser reveal a special feature for older people namely that in a pedal machine both pedals can start at their lowest level instead of one up and one down. The Japanese Patent No. 2004016577 issued to Shigeo et al. reveals an exercise machine where the user can exercise in a recumbent position but the range of movements of the arms and legs is limited with no possibility of increasing or decreasing the stress to the arms or legs. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,419 issued to Rota showing how beneficial the rebounding type of exercise is for all aged users especially the elderly.

Prior art chest press machines usually exercise upper body only, similarly leg press machines exercise lower body only. This unique commercial machine exercises both upper and lower body simultaneously while symbiotically helping both to share the weight resistance and enhancing coordination between them which is vital for enhancing common everyday functions of the elderly and infirm.

The uniqueness of this invention is the combination of all its various features into one device as are herein described.

After years of research the innovators of this invention have found solutions to the above mentioned problems generally and to the specific problems and needs of the elderly and infirm. The result is incorporated in the apparatus of this invention as hereinafter described. The result is a user friendly machine that the infirm will want to use because it answers their special needs. It will help them overcome that so important initial step of starting to exercise.

The commercial potential for such machines is great. Firstly the purchaser could be an end user of the exercise machine of this invention or an exercise club that also wishes to cater for the elderly, infirm or those recuperating from injury. Such exercise clubs will be able to attract more members and from a wider range of population. Exercise clubs for women only, will be able to offer machines user friendly for females. Old-age homes are likely purchasers of these machines, to improve the overall health of their members, to usefully occupy their time and to attract new members by showing quality facilities. Hotels often have exercise rooms and will want to provide quality facilities for their elderly customers. Hospitals or homes for rehabilitation after medical operations or accidents are another likely customer for such machines. Most of the features designed for older people will also assist people recouping from illness or operations. They will recover faster, reduce the number of visits to the physiotherapist and be happy that they are helping themselves to become independent and return to their normal routine.

The manufacturers of this invention will be catering for a market that is expanding rapidly both by the greater percentage of people living to older ages and the increasing awareness amongst all sectors of the population that regular exercising is a key to improved health. Health funds have already recognized how many millions of dollars they save each year when their members maintain a better standard of health. As a result these health funds often subsidize for their members, the membership fees of exercise clubs. All these factors will contribute to the commercial success of this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview, or framework, for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention.

An object of this invention is to provide a machine to exercise and thereby strengthen the chest, arm and leg muscles as well as maintain bone mass of the elderly, infirm and females, for example and in particular, the quadriceps, pectoralis major and sternal muscles. This muscle strengthening and bone mass maintenance will increase strength generally and also improve posture and stability.

Another object of the invention is to have an angled seat that provides a contra for the back when pressing with the chest press and reduces pressure on the spine, neck and lower back while exercising.

Another object of the invention is for the person exercising to be able to exercise his torso and leg muscles together, separately or various proportions of each.

Another object of the invention is to have an adjustable foot-plate that reduces unnecessary pressure on the ankle area while exercising.

Another object of the invention is to adjust the distance of the foot-plate from the user's body to enable users of different heights to comfortably use the foot-plate.

Another object of this invention is to enable the user to exercise with the chest press using only one hand at a time.

Another object of this invention is to enhance a person's ability to balance.

Another object of this invention is for the said exercise machine to be stably resting on the ground when in use and optionally moveable when so desired.

Another object of this invention is to ease the access to and exit from the exercise machine where for example, there is a minimum of overhanging apparatus potentially capable of causing head or other injury and without sharp edges protruding from the apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to have at least one static support handle to increase the user's stability while entering or exiting the said exercise machine or to hold onto with one hand when operating the said exercise machine with the other hand.

Another object of the invention is for the angles of the axles and other stress taking connecting pieces to be such that they best exercise the aforementioned muscles without causing strain to other parts of the body.

Another object of the invention is to make instructions for the user simple to understand and written in large print in a color that contrasts with its background. It is also an object to make the said instructions readable while the user is in position on the exercise machine.

Another object of the invention is to have a picture on the body of the apparatus in a clearly visible position and color, illustrating an everyday task. This task the infirm often find difficult to carry out and is made easier by strengthening the specific muscles that the machine of this invention helps to strengthen. State of art exercise machines often mention on the machine the name of the muscles that will be strengthened by the machine or sometimes they have a picture of those muscles in a picture of a body. The user of an exercise machine will be able to relate much easier to a picture of the everyday task that will be enhanced by using the machine. It will give the user a greater incentive to work diligently at the said exercises.

One of the everyday tasks that is associated with this invention is pushing a shopping cart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain, by way of example only, the principles of the invention:

Fig A is a side sectional diagram of the essential parts of the exercise machine of this invention.

Fig B is a front sectional diagram of the essential parts of the exercise machine of this invention.

Fig C is a top sectional diagram of the essential parts of the exercise machine of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As will be appreciated the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments than those discussed above and described in more detail below, and its several details are capable of modifications in various aspects, all without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the embodiments set forth below are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

Fig A shows the side view of this invention. The machine can be referred to as a chest/leg press 100. The user sits on the upholstered seat 102 and rests his back on the upholstered inclined backrest 104. The angle to the horizontal of the backrest 104 is 55°±0.5° and is designed to co-ordinate with the angle of pressure on the user's body caused when he presses on the leg press and/or when he presses the chest press. This angle of pressure is to ensure the resistance goes to the intended muscles and to avoid stress in other parts of the user's body.

To aid himself into the starting position, the user may use the assistance handle 108 attached to the axle 112 of the foot-plate 110. Handle 108, better seen in Fig B 108 and Fig C 108, moves back and forth with the foot-plate 110.

The user may then choose if he wishes to exercise both the torso and legs together, separately or a combination of one assisting the other. The first move would be to adjust the foot-plate 110 distance from the seat 102 using the spring loaded knob 114. This knob 114 is lifted by its grip in order to pull out its pin end from one of the holes Fig C 150. This releases the bar 118 to slide freely over bar 116 which in turn moves the foot-plate 110 closer or further from the seat 102.

The movement of the foot-plate 110 and chest handles 120 are connected and synchronized via the connecting rods 116 and 118. The user may therefore work his arms and legs together, separately or with one assisting the other as is the need or desire of the user. This feature is particularly useful for the infirm to help build strength in one limb that does not have the strength to work the machine without some help from a stronger limb. The foot-plate 110 is positioned in its stationary position at a height not more than 38 centimeters from the floor. This is to enable the user to place his feet on the foot-plate 110 with ease and thereafter to extend his legs at a downward angle which is the natural movement.

Instead of a counter-weight to balance the weight of the foot-plate 110 this invention uses a gas filled piston 144 that is attached near the main bearing 140 and at the other end near to the base of the chest press handles 120. When the foot-plate 110 is pushed forward the gas in piston 144 is under pressure and the gas pressure assists the apparatus to return to its original position. This assistance is equivalent to the assistance of a counter-weight, thereby ensuring that the weight lifted by the exerciser is the net weight of the total of weights 130 lifted and not any additional weight of the auxiliary apparatus of the exercise machine 100.

Pressing with hands on the chest-press handles 120 or on the foot-plate 110 will have the effect of lifting the selected weights 130 in the weight housing 132. The cable 134 is attached to the bar 137 at the point 135. The bar 137 is pivoted at bearing 140 and is connected to the footplate 110 and chest press handles 120 at the joint 139. The cable 134 follows the path of the intermittent line being aided by pulleys 146 to turn direction and reduce friction. The cable 134 can be, alternatively, a belt or a chain The user can adjust the degree of resistance that will have to be overcome to push the chest-press handles 120 away from his chest or to push with his legs on the foot-plate 110. The said resistance is usually adjusted conveniently using the weights 130 as is well known in the art. The weights 130 are housed in the weight housing 132 and are stacked vertically. The bored pin-rod 136 has at least one hole corresponding to the number of weights 130. The weights 130 each have a hole in them passing horizontally from front to back. The pin 138 is inserted through a certain weight 130 and into one of the holes in the bored pin-rod 136. When the user pushes on the chest-press handles 120 or presses on foot-plate 110 the connecting cable 134 will cause the weights 130 to rise. The amount of weights 130 to rise is the one with the pin 138 through it and any weights above it. The lower the pin 138 is placed in the stack of weights 130, the more weights 130 will be lifted and hence the greater the resistance on the user's chest and legs as he operates this device.

Fig B shows the front view of the chest/leg press 100. The seat backrest 104 is seen behind the foot-plate 110. The steadying handles 106 are positioned either side of the seat Fig A 102. The steadying handles 106 can be used to steady and stabilize the user when he wishes to exercise using one hand only to push the chest-press handles 120 or when he exercises using only the leg-press.

The stabilizing handle 108 is used for getting into position and exiting.

The weight housing 132 is seen from its closed side. The open side faces the exerciser as was described in Fig A.

Fig C shows the chest/leg press 100 from the top view. The parts visible in this figure are the seat 102, backrest 104, steadying handles 106 and 108, the chest-press handles 120 and foot-plate 110. The spring knob 114 is used to adjust the distance of the foot-plate 110 from the seat 102. The spring loaded knob 114 is lifted out of one of the holes 150 to release the previous locked position. The rod 118 can now be slid over perforated rod 116 which in turn will move the foot-plate 110 closer to or further from the seat 102. When the desired distance is chosen, the knob 114 is inserted into the appropriate hole 150. Weight housing 132 is at the right-hand side of the exerciser and can adjust the weights from his sitting position. 

What is claimed:
 1. An exercise machine comprising a frame, a seat at an incline, a back-rest at an incline, handles to push away from the exerciser, a foot-plate to push with his feet, the said foot-plate being at such a height and angle that the exerciser can easily place his feet onto the said foot-plate, thereby enabling him to extend his legs at a downward angle for natural movement, a connection rod between the said handles and the said foot-plate, a means to apply resistance to the said handles and foot-plate, at least one handle for the user to hold for the purpose of stabilization, whereby people generally and especially the elderly, the infirm and females can exercise their chest and/or leg muscles with a chosen degree of resistance.
 2. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said seat is placed at an angle of 110° from the said backrest.
 3. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein the said seat is placed at an angle of 110°±3° from the said backrest.
 4. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said backrest is placed at an angle 55° from the base of the said frame.
 5. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein the said backrest is placed at an angle 55°±3° from the base of the said frame.
 6. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said resistance is created by using a stack of weights attached by means of a cable and pulleys to the said handles and said foot-plate.
 7. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 6 where the extent of the resistance is chosen by means of inserting a pin in a horizontal hole passing through the width of a chosen weight and into a bored pin-rod that is attached to the said cable whereby that weight and all the weights above it are lifted by the said cable when the said handles and/or foot-plate is pressed.
 8. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distance between the said foot-plate and the said chest-press handles is adjustable.
 9. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein where the said adjustment is effected by a spring loaded knob that slides up and down a connection rod and can lock into one of the holes in the said rod.
 10. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a counter-weight to neutralize the weight of the said foot-plate and apparatus attached thereto.
 11. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a gas piston whereby the gas pressure created therein is used to neutralize the weight of the said foot-plate and apparatus attached thereto
 12. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least three wheels for transporting the machine where at least one wheel mechanism lifts the said exercise machine off the ground causing the weight of the said exercising machine to rest on the said wheel and of which at least one wheel is lockable thereby enabling the said exercise machine to rest firmly on the ground or optionally, be moved on the said wheels.
 13. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the access to the said exercise machine is open and uncluttered thereby easing the entry to and exit from the said exercising machine by the elderly or infirm and easing the work of a helper of the said elderly or infirm user.
 14. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said stabilization handle bar is used during entry to and exit from the said exercising machine.
 15. An exercise machine comprising a seat at an incline, a back-rest at an incline, handles to push away from the exerciser, a foot-plate to push with his feet, a connection rod between the said handles and the said foot-plate, a means to apply resistance to the said handles and foot-plate, at least one handle for the user to hold for the purpose of stabilization, instructions for use of the said exercising machine, at least one picture of an everyday task that is enhanced by the use of the said exercising machine, whereby people can exercise their chest, arms and/or leg muscles and with a chosen degree of resistance.
 16. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said seat is placed at an angle of 110°±3° from the said backrest.
 17. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said backrest is placed at an angle from the horizontal of 55°±3° from the base of the said frame.
 18. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said resistance is created by using a stack of weights attached by means of a cable and pulleys to the weight bearing arm and the said handles.
 19. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 18 wherein the access to the said exercise machine is open and uncluttered thereby easing the entry to and exit from the said exercising machine by the elderly or infirm and easing the work of a helper of the said elderly or infirm user.
 20. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said stabilization is during entry to and exit from the said exercising machine.
 21. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said instructions are in large clear print well contrasted with the background of the said print being visible and readable by the user of the said exercise machine from the position of the user when ready to exercise.
 22. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said picture of an everyday task is on the body of the said exercise machine in a position easily visible and designed to be easily understandable which task is being represented.
 23. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 22 wherein the said everyday task is pushing a shopping cart.
 24. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said footplate is not higher than 38 centimeters from the floor.
 25. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 15 wherein the said footplate is not higher than 38 centimeters from the floor.
 26. An exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said cable is substituted by a belt or chain. 